Adam Fantilli scored his first career NHL goal and Jack Roslovic tallied the overtime winner to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Justin Danforth, Kent Johnson and Boone Jenner also scored for the Blue Jackets, who completed a sweep of a back-to-back. Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 24 saves for the win.
Dakota Mermis and Marcus Johansson each notched one goal and one assist, while Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin also scored for the Wild, who have lost two straight games. Joel Eriksson Ek and Pat Maroon collected two assists apiece and goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped 49 shots.
Roslovic gained the puck at his own blue line, wheeled through three Minnesota skaters and converted from the slot for his first goal of the season at 3:07 of overtime.
It concluded a see-saw affair in which both teams squandered leads. Columbus staked a 2-0 advantage when Danforth scored his second goal in as many games and third of the season at 8:55 of the first period with a rebound tally, before Johnson netted his first marker of the campaign at 6:10 of the second period.
Minnesota drew even with a pair of goals 54 seconds apart. Mermis put the hosts on the board 71 seconds after Johnson’s tally by rifling a long point shot, and Zuccarello evened the count when Ryan Hartman stole the puck from Columbus defenseman Ivan Provorov and fed him at the slot for a golden chance to convert.
Brodin gave Minnesota a lead at 4:42 of the third period when he pinched down from his point position and buried a quick shot for his first goal of the season. But Jenner buried a rebound just under three minutes later to card his fourth of the season.
Fantilli, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, whipped a quick shot into the net while on the power play with 5:19 remaining in regulation for his milestone goal, but Johansson netted a one-timer from the left circle with 2:59 on the clock to force extra time.
The Blue Jackets were without Patrik Laine, who was injured in the final seconds of Friday’s win over the Calgary Flames. Rasmus Andersson was handed a four-game suspension for the hit, which has Laine sidelined on a day-to-day basis.
–Field Level Media
